


Wayward.

by Lauren_is_a_moron



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Based on Supernatural, Betty and Archie are demons, Demons, F/M, Road Trips, Veronica and Jughead are Sam and Dean, heh
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-29
Updated: 2018-05-29
Packaged: 2019-05-15 14:46:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14792510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lauren_is_a_moron/pseuds/Lauren_is_a_moron
Summary: Twin siblings Veronica and Jughead Jones' father went on a hunting trip a year ago, searching for the Yellow-eyed demon that killed their mother when they were young. But FP Jones has been gone a long time, and Jughead and Veronica are determined to find him. They're in luck, as two young demon's offer to help them find their father in exchange for letting them live. But problems start to arise. The demons are in fact pretty blonde cheerleader Betty Cooper, and kind-hearted jock, Archie Andrews. Who they surprisingly start a strange, disjointed friendship with while on the road. But how can a pair of demon hunter's get along with two demons? How is it that Jughead Jones finds himself falling for a monster with a blonde ponytail?





	Wayward.

**Author's Note:**

> I've wanted to write this for so long! Enjoy!

BEFORE.

_It was the flickering light that dragged four-year-old Jughead Jones from slumber. Normally he slept soundly, curled up in his Star Wars covers. But something at the back of mind nagged at him. Incessantly. His mother called it an Overactive Imagination. When he saw monsters under the bed, shadow fingers reaching out of the dark, ready to wrap themselves around his ankles and pull him into oblivion. But that night Jughead had been able to sleep because of the nightlight. It was supposed to be Veronica's, his twin sisters. But for some reason she hated it. The nightlight in the shape of a lit candle. Veronica wouldn't go near the thing. Her bright blue eyes would widen in terror and she would start screaming and batting her fists at it as if she could fight it away. Veronica would bury her head in her their mother's chest and cry out, "Take it away!"_

_So the Jones parents did. And instead gave it to Jughead._

_Jughead liked to stare at it before he fell asleep. Sometimes he wished it was really lit; a real fire he watches flicker away, slowly burning its way down the candle._

_That was the thing, though. The light wasn't supposed to flicker. Because it wasn't real fire. And Jughead had been sure his mom and dad had put new batteries in because the glow had been so bright, so perfect- before he fell asleep. He remembered letting his eyes close as the haze of the light made shapes appear in his vision, floating around. He could never grab for them. If he did, his small fingers just grasped around thin air. Jughead sat up in bed, shaking his long brown hair from his eyes and stifling a yawn. His stomach was twisting and turning for some reason. The bad feeling he got when he felt sick or had a tummy ache, was there, twisting and pulling at his gut._

_The urge to cry out for his mom and dad was overwhelming his tongue. Because his bedroom wasn't what it was supposed to be like. Still and lifeless. Peaceful. The nightlight plugged into the outlet by his bed was flickering like a real candle, casting dancing shadows across his mustard yellow walls. The stuffed animals he kept in a pile by his door for Veronica to play with, were suddenly alive. Their beady eyes staring into his soul knitted smiles no longer innocent and playful. They were teasing him, taunting him. He could hear their tiny little voices at the back of his head; "Where's your mommy, Juggie? Where's your mommy, Juggie?" getting far too loud, far too terrifying. Jughead let out a soft whimper. But he was too scared to move. He put his hands over his ears to block out the squeaky voices grating against his skull. But they didn't dull. If anything, they got louder. Suddenly far too over-powering. "Where's your mommy, Juggie?" They giggled. It was nothing like the baby voices Ronnie would do, pretending to be them when she forced him to play teddy bears picnic. These voices were wrong. They were so, so wrong. Monsters. Jughead thought, grasping his covers for dear life._

_But monsters weren't real. Jughead knew that. They always came out to play in the dark. Never in the light. Never when his mom and dad were there. It was only at night when he was half asleep. He would tell himself over and over again; "It's not real, It's not real!" He'd say; a mantra, if he so much as spied a glimmering eye in the back of his closet. Normally it worked. Normally he would wish away the monsters, feeling proud of himself. He had expelled them from his and Ronnie's life. His sister was safe._

_But not that night. Something was wrong. He could sense it._

_For a four-year-old, Jughead was incredibly intelligent. His teachers at school praised his quick progression in reading and writing. But they had called his parents in a number of times, because of his drawings. Jughead always used the same coloured pencils. Vivid orange, Red and Black. Orange and Red for the licking flames, and black for the smoke. He wasn't entirely just what it was. He just kept drawing it. Over and over again. It scared him, but for some reason, he couldn't stop drawing it. His house and family. Mommy, daddy and baby Ronnie all in stick person form. Mommy with her long brown hair and Ronnie with a giant smile too big for her face. They were engulfed in orange, yellow and black._

_Fire. Jughead wrinkled his nose. But that wasn't right. It was the middle of the night, mommy and daddy were asleep. They couldn't be cooking burgers in the garden or lighting the fireplace in the living room. But there was no mistake. Jughead could smell the thick, intoxicating smoke already weaving into his senses, setting his lungs on fire. He was out of bed in an instant, grabbing for his nearest stuffed animal. He held it to his chest, pressing his face into its mangy fur. It was a sort of comfort. The teddy bear was Ronnie's. Its name was Sammy and she had told him, with the sincerest eyes, that Sammy would protect him. From the monsters that came out at night. Jughead had always giggled and told her that there was no such thing. But now, he wasn't so sure._

_The smell was getting stronger. And there was no lingering hint of sausages or bacon. Jughead's favourite. Instead, the smell was choking him, making his eyes water. he had to keep swiping at them with the sleeve of his pyjama sleeve. If he really squinted, he swore the air around him was getting thicker, foggier. He kept his head down, choking back a cry. He had to be brave. His father had already told him that. He had to be brave for himself, for mommy and for Ronnie. Jughead clutched Sammy tightly as he slowly made his way out of his room, careful not to step on the toys he had left out._

_The second he was out in the hallway, he could see it, illuminating his sister's door; a warm yellow glow, just like his night light. But Veronica's room was supposed to be dark. Jughead could feel his fingers sinking into Sammy's ratty fur as his heart pounded in his chest. "Mommy?" He allowed himself to cry when the smell was too much. It was seeping into his lungs, pressing against his heart. He felt dizzy as the air grew thicker around him, filling up with smoke. There was no answer, and Jughead knew his father was out._

_"Mom!" He ran for Ronnie's room, swallowing his fear. Part of Jughead didn't want to run through the glowing light, that was so terrifying, yet so beautiful. It practically welcomed him as he found himself stumbling through into Ronnie's room. But the effect didn't last for long. Jughead shook his head of the feeling slowly taking over him, creeping into his brain. It was a voice, unlike the ones that had taunted him, coming from the stitched mouths of the stuffed animals sitting in the corner of his bedroom. But no, this voice was different. It was smooth, so soft. Sweet even. Jughead felt Sammy slip from his grasp. The teddy bear the hit his sister's bright pink carpet, but Jughead barely noticed. Because the voice in his head, echoing in his skull, was right in front of him. It was a real-life monster, with its back to him, looming over Veronica's bed. The girl was fast asleep, her curly chestnut hair a halo spread out around her._

_There was so much smoke. Jughead could sense it, smell it- even see it. But there was no fire. How could there be no fire?_

_Jughead whimpered. He couldn't help it. The monster spun around, a head of dark hair, lips smudged scarlet- the same shade that tinted sleeping Veronica's lips. Jughead was too young to understand. He didn't see the bite marks in the monster's flesh, or the trail of blood running down Veronica's chin. He only saw the blazing yellow eyes that stared back at him. Jughead was frozen. He couldn't move. He couldn't breathe. His bare feet were sinking into the carpet, and Sammy was too far away to grab. But Sammy couldn't protect him or Ronnie. Because the monster was real. It was in his house, it was hanging over his sister, a hungry grin spread on his lips. Jughead wanted to cry out for Ronnie, for his mommy. But it was like the monster had taken his voice, dragged it from his lungs. The monster grinned at him, cocking its head. The monster looked like a person. Like his mommy, or daddy, or uncle Fred. But the burning eyes brighter than an imploding star fixated on him. They weren't human. It was a real life, actual monster._

_Daddy had been wrong. Jughead's lungs were burning. He held his breath and was ready to scream at the monster. Ready to expel it from existence, away from Ronnie. But warm arms were suddenly being wrapped around him, yanking him backwards._

_"Jughead, sweetie, get back!" Jughead landed on his knees. He was too weak to stand up but managed to lift his head, seeing the blur of movement, of his mother in her robe, her bright pink nightdress, as she dived at the monster, reached out for Ronnie. "Get away from my daughter!" Her voice was so loud, screeching in his mind. Jughead bowed his head, his eyes stinging. He pressed his hands against his ears. He was certain his mommy was going to save Ronnie, was going to save them all. But when he looked up, blinking through the smoke, his mother was pinned against the ceiling, staring down at him. Her expression was wild, her eyes wide, lips twisted. The monster was stood, his head tipped, his arm stretched out._

_"Jughead, get Ronnie!" His mother cried out. Jughead frowned at his mother, wondering why she wasn't falling down. Why she was just staying there, suspended. She looked so beautiful, like an angel. Her hair spread around her. Jughead didn't see the growing scarlet stain seeping through her robe. He jumped into action and dove to his feet. Jughead made a beeline for Ronnie's bed, scooping her into his arms. She was heavy, and he stumbled, crying out against the smoke choking him from the nonexistent fire. The monster didn't try and hurt him. It just stood there, frozen, grinning up at his helpless mother. Jughead didn't know what to do. He held Ronnie. "Mom," he whimpered softly. But she only shook her head violently, strands of her dark hair whipping in her face._

_"Look away, honey," she said softly. Then with desperation; "Jughead, look away, okay?" Her voice was choked, and Jughead wanted to argue. He wanted to question it, but when his mother cried out in agony in symphony with a terrifying laugh coming from the monster, he pressed his face into Veronica's soft hair. It smelt like strawberries. Jughead counted softly in his head, trying to stifle sobs choking his throat. He was halfway to three when a blinding orange light lit up the room, and he couldn't help looking up curiously._

_"Mommy?" He had whispered, hopefully. His next words caught in his throat, turning to sour bile._

_There, still pinned against the ceiling, was his mother engulfed in flames. The same bright oranges and Yellows that he had drawn. Jughead screamed. He screamed so loud Veronica jolted in his arms, kicking her legs, her own cry meshing together with his. He could only watch as his mother burned, like his drawings. While Veronica screeched in his ears, and the monster laughed at him. He would never forget that laugh. Or those eyes._

_Jughead would never forget Ronnies cry, or his mother crumbling into ashes that fell from the ceiling like rain. He didn't remember what he did next. He didn't remember being picked up by familiar arms that weren't his mother's. He didn't remember being shoved into the back of an ambulance with Ronnie, and he didn't remember his father screaming in his face; "Where's your mother, Jug?" shaking him, until he was dizzy, the world spinning. But daddy hadn't seen mommy burn brightly. He had seen her evaporate into nothing. Only Jughead saw that. Only he saw the monster disappear with his mother._

_But it was smiling at him, laughing, pointing- teasing. While Veronica screamed._

_And screamed_

_And screamed._

  
***

  
AFTER.

Eleven years later, monster's were in fact real. Very real in the Jones siblings lives. And they had a name; demons. When he was four years old, a demon had come into his house, tried to kill his sister, and murdered his mother. That fact had been hard to grasp through his childhood, but as he grew up, Jughead understood more and more. Their father, FP Jones, had told them enough information about his so-called ‘job’ before he had gone missing a whole year ago. He had claimed to have been going on another hunting trip but never returned.

Since then, Jughead and Veronica had been living in the tiny flat their father had left them abandoned in. Though they weren't completely alone. Alice Cooper, a good friend of FP's. She was like an aunt to them. She regularly visited them to make sure they weren't starving to death, as well as being the parental figure in their lives they needed. Plus, she had provided them with training, on how to deal with a demon. Jughead was sure if he ran into one, he would be able to do the exorcism in his sleep. He carried his father's knife in his backpack, everywhere he went, sandwiched between his dogeared copy Of Mice and Men, and his English textbooks. Thanks to Alice, his Latin was improving. There had been an instance when he was a kid when Jughead had witnessed an exorcism. It was a demon called Balthazar inside the body of a young man with a haemorrhaging brain. He was going to die anyway, and the demon had rubbed that in his father's face. The demon had one chance to tell his father where Yellow Eyes was. But Balthazar just laughed in his face, tied to the wooden rickety chair that ten-year-old Jughead and Veronica had helped tie him to. Then the two of them had watched silently, as their father shoved the blade of his knife into the man's chest, and there the demon was, a pitch dark vortex swirling from the man's mouth and evaporating in thin air. Jughead had screamed and slammed his hands over his ears, while Ronnie ran off. But he didn't stop watching the exorcisms. Soon enough, his fear turned to anger, and before long he stood at his father's side.

Alice had stopped that, though. She believed the twins should grow up normal and have nothing to do with their father's hunting life. Jughead wanted to be part of it, and he was sure his sister did too. He wanted to find the demon who killed their mother.

Alice felt like their replacement mother, but sometimes she could get slightly overwhelming. Like now, as he and Veronica stood outside Riverdale High, she was standing in front of him with her tattooed arms crossed over her chest. Jughead could almost imagine she was their actual mother. The commute of kids rushing past stopped to glance at the strange blonde woman covered in tattoos and piercings. Jughead loved all of Alice's tattoo's, but her sleeves were his favourite. They were Serpents, entangling her wrist, crawling up her pale arm. She insisted they protected her. Jughead knew the second he turned of age, he was getting the same tattoo. Plus, Alice Cooper was badass. She rode a freakin' motorcycle. It was parked on the side of the road, extremely hard to miss.

Alice Cooper looked like she had just stepped out of the Grease movies. She was tall, with curly blonde hair she always wore down to her shoulders. She wore ripped jeans and a white shirt that was way too tight. Jughead dragged a hand through his thick brown hair poking from the ratty knitted beanie he had grown accustomed to wearing. Jughead had found it in Alice's garage one night, when FP had been on a hunt and she had invited them to sleep for a night, because of Ronnie's nightmares, when they were little.

He had tried it on, slipping it over his long dark hair, that at that point had been down to his shoulders. Alice said he looked so much like his father, so he had kept it, wearing it religiously. Jughead tugged irritably at his beanie and resisted rolling his eyes. Veronica stood next to him, silently. She was determined to get in with the popular crowd this year, so talking to a random blonde woman covered head to toe in strange marking and tattoos, with her twin brother, wasn't exactly going to help her climb the social ladder. Veronica and Jughead shared the same face, practically. But she chose to tie her hair into pigtails with Blue and Gold ribbons since she was trying out for The River Vixens as a Sophomore. They had the same chestnut-gold skin that complimented her figure, her- everything. While Jughead liked to hide under his beanie and thick, dark hair. Veronica was going to rule the halls, he knew it. While he stuck to hiding under the bleachers, tearing through ancient books Alice had given him, or he had found among the skeleton of their parent's old house. Before it burned to the ground.

"I don't get why you insist on constantly checking up on us," Jughead groaned, glancing at Veronica, who was doing her best to smile but making sure she didn't make eye contact with Alice. "Oh my god, who even is this woman? Why is she talking to us?" screamed her expression. Jughead could practically hear Veronica's voice crying out to them, trying to telepathically connect with her classmate's.

_Guys, I'm not weird like my brother!_

Jughead nudged her, and the girl shoved him back. They had that kind of sibling bond. Jughead would do anything for her, to protect her. He had promised his father that on the night he went missing. Ronnie was stubborn and could be bratty. She complained about having barely any clothes, no money- pretty much no life. But she also curled up with him on cold nights when the heating wasn't working and all they had was each other. He would tell her stories of their father's famous hunts, and she would fall asleep, her face buried in the crook of his neck. That was the Veronica Jughead loved.

But also, like all sisters, she could be a little bitch. Veronica would intentionally hide things from him to piss him off, lock him out sometimes if she simply felt like it, and the absolute worst; she constantly stole his food. He had lost count of the number of times Alice would bake them a fresh pie, and he would think about it all day, his mouth watering. Then he would return home, and the pie would be gone, and Veronica would be stretched out on the sofa flicking through a teen magazine, with telltale smudges of scarlet on her lips. Then he would ignore her for days, and vice versa.

Alice's lip curled into a smirk. "Veronica, dear, don't be embarrassed by me, I'm just making sure your kids are okay," she said, and Jughead knew she meant it. She arched a perfectly plucked brow, her bright blue eyes boring into Jugheads. "I don't suppose your father..." she drifted off when Veronica scoffed but didn't say anything else.

Jughead tipped his head back and sighed into the crisp morning air. "Isn't it obvious?" he murmured. Alice's face fell, and Jughead felt his heart squeeze. Surely something had happened between his father and Alice. When their mom had died, Alice had swooped into their lives, offering shelter, food and cash. FP dumped them on Alice if he had to go on an emergency hunting trip, and she always complied. Jughead wondered if Alice loved his father. He had never thought to ask any of them about their past.

"Well..." Alice who was obviously hurt, cleared her throat before her attention turned to Ronnie for a second. She smiled brightly at the girl's pigtails, that Jughead thought were childish, especially for a sixteen-year-old.

But Veronica insisted on having them, refusing to acknowledge that they clearly clashed with the band shirt, ripped jeans and red jacket she was wearing. The shirt and jeans were Jugheads. The jacket was their mom's, one of the pieces of clothing she had left behind. Like Jughead's beanie, Ronnie never took it off. The Blue and Gold ribbons trailing from her dark hair looked ridiculous with the outfit his sister had chosen to wear. But Jughead knew if he said anything, she would kill him.

"Veronica!" Alice grinned, changing the subject. "Are you trying out to be a cheerleader, sweetie?"

The girl nodded, twirling a strand of her long dark hair around her finger. "Hopefully." she murmured, still staring at the ground. Jughead wanted to shove her again.

Alice nodded along, smiling. But Jughead sensed something was wrong. "Okay then!" she clapped her hands. "You guys should be getting to class, I don't want you to be late."

Veronica nodded. "Yeah, okay!" she smiled, grabbing Jughead's sleeve. "C'mon Jug," she started to drag them away, but Jughead shook his head, retracting his arm. He frowned at Alice, his lip curling. "Is something wrong?"

Alice looked like she might reply, but was interrupted by the school bell, which felt like someone was a bashing brick into his head. "Come and see me after school," she said softly. "Both of you." Alice smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Okay?"

Jughead found himself nodding as if he was on autopilot. Veronica smiled animatedly. "Yep, okay, bye!" she waved the woman away, and once Alice was out of earshot, disappearing into the crowd, Jughead finally turned to his sister with a scowl.

"Ron, what the fuck, she clearly wanted to tell us something!" He joined the crowd ambling into school, and Ronnie, to his surprise, walked with him. He glanced down at her stilettos and stifled a groan. He knew she couldn't walk in them, and they were probably killing her feet. But if she was willing to tolerate the pain, it was her funeral.

Veronica sighed. "I don't wanna hear it," she murmured. " I don't want to know if she's found any leads on dad, or even-" the girl lowered her voice. "The Yellow-eyed demon."

Before Jughead could say anything, the girl let out a harsh laugh. "I just want a normal life, okay?" she turned to him, her brown eyes wide, her lips pressed firmly together. Veronica nudged him playfully. "I mean, can't we just be two normal sixteen-year-olds?"

Jughead didn't answer. Sure, he wanted to be normal. Jughead wanted his only cares in life to be worrying about his SAT's and finding a girlfriend or boyfriend. Whichever. He was pretty sure he swung both ways after developing a crush on Reggie Mantle, one of the upperclassmen. He wanted a normal life too. But only when the demon that had killed their mother was dead. He didn't say that, though. Jughead only nodded and smiled softly.

"Yeah, sure." He said. Though Veronica wasn't listening, already greeting kids who pushed past the two of them. Her voice was grating on him as she fake smiled at girl's he knew she hated.

 "A normal life."

 

***

At lunch, Jughead normally sat under the bleachers and deafened himself with the long, angsty playlist of alternative 80's and 90's. He used his dad's MP3 Player he'd left behind. Yeah, it was outdated, and yeah, he got shit for having one. But he didn't care. It was his father's favourite music. Alice had even bought him a cheap but decent iPhone, but he rarely touched it. Only for emergencies.

But today, instead of sitting cross-legged under the bleachers, he was leaning against the wall of the school gym, watching his sister perfect a cartwheel across a mat, in front of the other cheerleaders, who were smiling, impressed. Ronnie often had that impression. She seemed to fly through the air, a blue and Gold blur, ribbons trailing behind her. Jughead had told her strictly that he wasn't going to watch her try out for the Vixens. Because he was sure there was something...off about them.

Veronica had laughed at him earlier, at break, when he tried to talk her out of it. "Evil?" she had raised her eyebrows. "You think the nicest, peppiest girls in our year are demons?"

Jughead had been loading books into his locker. "Ronnie, they're too nice," he muttered. "Plus, where does all the pep even come from?" He shivered. "They scare me, dude."

She had shoved him playfully, and against all odds, he had laughed. "You're an idiot," Veronica had giggled, her hands planted on her hips. "There is absolutely no way Betty Cooper, the literal perfect girl next door, is a soul-sucking demon."

His sister's words echoed in his mind as Jughead found himself watching not Veronica, who was attempting a triple flip, a confident grin stretched across her face, but Betty Cooper, the leader of The River Vixens. Who stood and watched Veronica with a small smile on her lips. Betty Cooper was beautiful, he had to admit that. She was tall with golden blonde hair she wore in a ponytail. But something was off about her. The way she looked at Veronica. It was more than being impressed, or amazed by his sister's dance moves. The girl's gaze followed Veronica's every movement until his sister had finished her routine, waving her pom's in the air and grinning. Betty started to clap, and the other girls joined in. Jughead frowned at the blonde girl, who turned around for a moment, her smile growing. He thought it was a trick of his eyes, or maybe a hallucination. But he could have sworn Betty turned around, while all the other girls were clapping loudly for his sister, and winked at him. Jughead felt his insides twist, his breath caught in his throat. Did Betty Cooper, the most popular girl in school, just wink at him?

"That was amazing!" Betty trilled. Veronica's grin was bright, as she stood, panting. Betty cocked her head, smiling. The other girls stopped clapping and began to disperse. Jughead slowly started to make his way over. His heart was thumping in his chest, but was it because of Betty Cooper winking at him, or because he was almost 100% sure she was a demon? Jughead wrinkled his nose. Since he was a kid, he had always been able to sense them. They smelt like smoke, like fire. When there were no flames. He couldn't smell anything right now, but the way the blonde had looked at him, the curl on her lips...

Jughead quickened his pace, heading over to where the girls were. Betty smiling at his sister brightly, with far too many teeth. Veronica was oblivious.

"Sorry, what's your name again?" Betty asked Veronica as he approached them.

"Veronica." His sister replied. "Veronica Jones."

Betty nodded. If she had noticed Jughead standing there, she didn't say anything. The girl held a clipboard to her chest and glanced down at it, before looking back up at Veronica. "Congratulations, Veronica!" she beamed. "You're a River Vixen!"

Veronica's eyes lit up, and she squealed. "Thank you! I won't let you down!" Then her eyes were settling on her brother, and her smile curled into a frown. "Jug?" she folded her arms across her chest. She hadn't been expecting him to actually come and watch.

Betty turned to smile at him, her ponytail bobbing as she giggled. "Your sister is very talented," she said. And there it was again. Jughead swallowed. _That damn look._

"She is," he said flatly. Betty lost her smile, and he swore her eyes flashed with hurt. "I can, uh..sorry," she giggled. "I'll go and get changed."

Veronica shook her head. "No, no, it's fine," she said, smiling at her apparent new best friend. "My brother was just leaving," she said with gritted teeth. "Weren't you Jug?"

The gym was emptying, and from the look on Veronica's face, she knew what he was thinking. Jughead ignored his sister's narrowed eyes and dismissive attitude. "Sure," he muttered, stuffing his hands in his pockets. Betty didn't flinch, which confused him. Instead, she smiled at him curiously, and he felt his chest tighten. Did he get it wrong?

"It's cool, I'm going," Jughead smiled at his sister, but made sure he gave her _The Look_. She had her knife in her bag at all times, but would she be able to get to it in time?

As Jughead was walking away, Betty shouted; "Nice meeting you!" and his heart did that strange flipping over thing again. He couldn't seem to stop thinking about her as he left the gym. Her bright blue eyes, her cheeks, like strawberries dipped in yoghurt. So if Betty Cooper wasn't a demon, then what was wrong with him? Why did he feel so on edge?

The halls were streaming with kids, and Jughead pushed through the crowd, eager to get to English class. Betty Cooper was still in his mind, her smile, her laugh. The fact that she had winked at him. Jughead shook his head, pulling his beanie further over his hair. There was a dull thrumming in the back of his skull, an approaching headache. He swallowed a groan and dug into his pockets for the Tylenol Alice had given him last week to tackle a migraine. He wasn't completely paying attention, his mind elsewhere- where he was with Betty Cooper and her bright smile, her kind eyes. He was leaning towards her-

Jughead didn't see the boy coming towards him, and the kid was obliviously in his own world anyway, nodding his head to music blasting through his headphones. The two collided, and Jughead felt all the breath getting knocked out of him. When he lifted his head to yell, "Watch where you're going!" at the boy, he found himself staring at Archie Andrews, captain of the Varsity team. He was tall with broad shoulders, messy red hair and a permanent dopy smile on his face. Archie's Letterman jacket was hanging off one shoulder in streaks of Blue and Gold. He smiled at Jughead, yanking an earphone out.

"Sorry," the boy chuckled. "I was miles away."

Jughead opened his mouth to reply. Maybe he'd go easy on the kid, and smile back; "It's no problem," he would say, before continuing to shuffle along. Except something stopped Jughead in his tracks, and the pain in the back of his head seemed to worsen to a very noticeable pounding, like someone smashing a brick into his skull. 

 _Fire_. His breath caught in his throat, and he was suddenly four years old again, terrified of the dark, of the monster in his sister's room. The non-existent fire choking his lungs.

Jughead felt paralysed once again. His father had grilled him, from the minute he was old enough to understand, that the one way to detect demons, was their smell. Fire enveloping their soul, eating them up inside. And he could smell it right then, seeping from Archie Andrews, overwhelming his senses like day-old milk. Jughead could feel his knife burning through his backpack. The urge to plunge it through Archie's chest was impalpable. Except not right now. Not in the middle of the corridor. Jughead felt a shiver fly down his spine. Archie was his age. A kid. He had never seen his father or Alice kill a kid before. But he had to do it. To protect himself. To protect his sister.

"Are you okay. dude?" Archie was smiling at him still, his brown eyes wide with confusion. The boy ran a hand through his thick red hair. "You look pale."

Jughead managed a slow nod. The smell was killing him slowly, wrapping tendrils around his senses, choking them, settling into his lungs. He held his breath and forced his next words through his teeth. "Actually, I think I dropped something," _Keep holding your breath_ , he told himself mentally. "Do you mind helping me find it?"

Before Archie could answer, Jughead gestured to an empty classroom across the hall. He knew it was empty because of he sometimes went there at lunch when his spot under the bleachers was taken. Miss Simons let him use the computer.

"We can go in there?" he pretended to look through his backpack, stifling a cough when Archie leaned forward to peek in his bag. The smell was getting worse. "Shit, I can't find it."

"Uh, sure!" Archie smiled. "But it'll only take a second, yeah? I gotta get to class," the jock rolled his eyes. "Grundy will kill me if I'm late for math again."

Jughead nodded and moved towards the classroom. He felt like he was in a daze. "Sure, it won't take long," he muttered, pushing the door open. The classroom was empty, just like he thought. Archie followed him in, and he slammed the door shut. Except the boy didn't wince or ask why he was turning and locking it. Instead, Archie leaned against a desk casually with his arms folded and smiled at him. Jughead didn't move. He didn't reach into his pack. Not yet. "Well?" Archie cocked his head. "What are you waiting for?"

Jughead glared at the boy. "You stink," he muttered, and Archie, to his surprise, laughed. "Oh really?" The boy's lips curled into a smirk. "What do I smell of?"

Jughead bristled. "Stop playing games," he muttered. "I know what you are, you idiot. You don't hide it very well." This time, he was the one who was smiling.

Archie sighed. "Damn, I thought I was doing a good job," he tipped his head back and blew scarlet strands of hair out of his eyes. "I guess not, right?" he grinned at Jughead, before straightening up. "Alright, Jones, Let's get this over with." For a moment Archie was smiling at him, brown eyes so human, so boyish and sweet. And within a second, they were flickering into a soulless black, his warm smile twisting into a devilish grin.

Jughead reached into his pack and brought out the knife. His hands were shaking. Archie began to walk towards him, his arms spread out. "Free shot, Jones." The demon giggled. Jughead found himself taking a step back, but Archie was suddenly nose to nose with him, and he was staring into the boy's eyes. Jughead wondered if Archie Andrews had always been a demon, or had recently been possessed. He wanted to kick himself for not noticing before now. Jughead held his breath against the sour odour, but Archie was still smiling at him, Oynx eyes sparkling with glee.

"Hey, if you kill me, how are you going to find daddy Jones, huh?"

Jughead nearly dropped the knife. "What?"

Archie only stepped back, raising his hands in surrender. He looked like he might say something, but the floor flew open, and Veronica ran in, clutching her own knife, her eyes wide, lips twisted. "Okay, fuck, you were right!" she hissed, vaulting over a table and coming to his side, grabbing his arm. "You were right, okay?" she was breathless, her gym shirt ripped down the front, her hair a straggly mess in her face.

Jughead was lost for a moment, confused at his sister's words before Betty Cooper strolled in after her. "Ronnie, for a human, I gotta admit,” she giggled. "You can run fast." But this wasn't the Betty Cooper he had left in the gym. It wasn't smiling Betty Cooper with her bright blue eyes. This was someone else entirely.

The girl's blonde hair was in her face, cut slicing into her cheek, which looked to already be healing itself. Betty was scowling, her eyes just like Archie's. Deep soulless voids of darkness. Archie was frowning at the blonde girl. "Betty, didn't I say not to try and kill her?" he hissed. "Do you know how much trouble we'd be in if we killed the Jones siblings?"

"Are you kidding, Andrews?" Betty laughed. "Did you fall off a fucking building?" she teased. "Did your vessel's brain finally implode? We'd be known as legends!"

Archie sighed. "Look, we're all friends here, alright?" he smiled brightly at Jughead, but Jughead was too busy staring at Betty Cooper's metamorphosis into a monster.

"Friends?" He managed to choke out after the boy's words settled into his mind. He wanted to kill them both right now, but something was stopping him. A nagging at the back of his head. He swallowed the urge to scream at Betty and Archie and clenched his jaw. "You know where our father is."

Betty smirked at him. "Mayybeeeeeeee," she sang, and Archie elbowed her. Jughead felt his heart sink into his gut. The Betty Cooper who he may have developed a crush on was, in fact, a monster. The same species as the thing that murdered his mother. He was already lifting his arm, ready to lunge with the knife. Betty squeaked and shuffled behind Archie, losing her smile. "Wait, no, you can't kill us!" she hissed.

"Why not?" His eyes were stinging. Veronica held him back. "Jug," she murmured. Her gaze was on Archie. She was listening to him. 

Betty sighed. "Stop the melodrama. If you want to kill us, go ahead." Her lips twisted into a smile. "But, like Archie said, you'll never find your father."

"Betty, stop teasing them," Archie muttered, grabbing the girl before she could make a run for it. He fixed Jughead with a smile. "Okay, I have a proposition for you, Jones."

Jughead narrowed his eyes. He grabbed Veronica's arm, squeezing it tightly. "It's Jughead."

"Whatever Jughead," the boy continued. "If you don't kill us, we'll take you to your father." Archie smiled. He was getting sick of that damn grin. "No strings attached." he held out his hand for Jughead to shake, and Jughead ignored it. Betty frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. "Archie, you're kidding, right?"

"Where is he?" Veronica managed. "Where is our father?"

Archie smirked at the girl. "Let's just say we're gonna need a car, a long-ass playlist of music, and some good snacks."

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> A road trip with two demons, and a demon hunter's kids. What could go wrong? ;) Please tell me what you think, and leave kudos if you liked :D I'll definitely continue this if enough if you like it, along with Stitched and LC :D


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